


A Pain You'll Never Know || Rangshi

by Jam_less



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, F/F, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Shadow of Kyoshi, Rangshi - Freeform, where did the fluff go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27395851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jam_less/pseuds/Jam_less
Summary: "Stay here with me." Rangi's voice quivered as she remembered the last time she had spoken those words, blood seeping through her uniform, slipping between Kyoshi's fingers as she reached up to the only person who mattered. The only person she cared enough to ask that of.In which Rangi is forced to watch Kyoshi lose herself to the same fate Kuruk suffered, and is helpless to save her.
Relationships: Kyoshi/Rangi (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	A Pain You'll Never Know || Rangshi

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Rangshi debut! I just read the Kyoshi novels and this is definitely a ship I will be exploring more deeply, I absolutely adore them both! 
> 
> As for this fic, it takes place after the Shadow of Kyoshi, and explores the idea of Kyoshi being placed in a similar situation as Kuruk in terms of having to kill dangerous spirits to protect the Four Nations. It's pretty short and mainly angst, but I was just testing the Rangshi waters :) Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Kyoshi was beginning to know all too well how Kuruk had felt, tracking down each frenzied, bloodthirsty spirit. Her jaw set grimly as she surveyed the ground for the smallest signs of her target, and the world around her only mirrored those feelings, exposing them to her in a cruel twist of fate. 

She would have never thought, a year or two back, that she would become the second great hunter of spirits, but here she was.

It's not as if she had a choice. Even after killing Father Glowworm - and in doing so, one of her oldest friends - the bridges he had created between the physical world and that of spirits had remained open. If they knew how, anyone could pass through them. Unfortunately, spirits were much more savvy about this sort of thing than people. 

When the first few reports of missing people and ravaged villages reached her, Kyoshi kept it quiet. She learned quickly how to track down these angry beings, and found after many attempts at persuasion that they listened to nothing but force. Luckily, that was one thing she had in excess. 

But with every spirit she killed, she could feel the toll it took on her own spirit, the same toll that had chipped away at Kuruk decades before, until there was nothing left. 

Neither Yangchen or Kuruk could give her any substantial advice, and it had been months since she had talked to either. Even as she went down the line of her predecessors, trying to gain any sort of knowledge on the subject, none of the previous Avatars could give her a sliver of hope. 

She tried everything. Reasoning with the angry spirits, forcing them back into the spirit world without killing them, trying to close the gates that left the physical world vulnerable. None of it worked. The best thing she could think to do was exactly what Kuruk had. She kept it to herself, and made sure the world knew nothing of the spirits that haunted it. 

It was a secret she kept faithfully, but with this weight she felt the drift between her and Jinpa, her and Rangi. She was losing them slowly with every lie, with every chip in herself that the bloodshed took. But even with this growing rift, she knew it was worth it, because the weight of her and Kuruk's secret would have taken too much of her companions. She knew she couldn't bear to bring them into this, couldn't bear to watch them break down and crumble at her side.

Even if it meant losing herself, bit by bit. 

Kyoshi was acting different. Jinpa and Rangi could both see it: the dullness in her eyes and the unyielding set of her jaw. She had never been one to talk excessively, but over the past year it had become increasingly difficult to prompt a response from her.

The Avatar had begun to disappear more often, mumbling something unintelligible about another new trouble in the world before she was gone. It stung more and more every time she forwent asking for company, and as the door closed shut behind her again, Rangi lowered her eyes in disappointment. It was obvious she didn't want to be followed, because she left no trace. Even if Jinpa and Rangi attempted to track her on her frequent outings, the trail would quickly run cold. As if she had just vanished. 

Every time she returned, the light in her eyes dimmed just a little more. Rangi and Jinpa shot each other worried glances behind her back at every dismissive response Kyoshi gave when they asked of her mysterious outings. 

The least Rangi could do was make sure Kyoshi ate regularly, which she did with unyielding vigor. It became a habit to force a bowl into the taller girl's grip, watching her hands shake every so slightly as she picked up the chopsticks.

One particular night, after a week of absence, Kyoshi stumbled through the door of her estate, laughing at some joke that hadn't been told. Upon seeing her, the tightness in Rangi's chest unfolded, and she could breathe again knowing the Avatar was finally back. Knowing she was still alive. 

But her eyes were foggy and unfocused, and her steps were unsure. 

"Ohh, Rangi~" she chimed, almost singing the Firebender's name. "I missed you." The words rang true, as they always did when it came to Rangi. But that wasn't enough for the bodyguard. 

"Are you drunk?" she accused, eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes glistened stubbornly as Kyoshi swayed in front of her. The taller girl's lips parted in a wide smile at the question, as if it weren't backed threateningly by the scariest Firebender she knew. And even if she was intoxicated, the smile still softened Rangi's heart. It had been a while since she had seen an expression of happiness on Kyoshi's countenance. But it wasn't enough to sway her favor. 

"You have got to be kidding me!" she shrieked, practically spitting fire. "You disappear for a week, off to some mysterious place you won't even tell us about, and when you finally show up again you're drunk? You haven't spoken more than two words at a time to me in weeks, Kyoshi! It's like I don't even know you anymore!"

Even at her raised voice, Kyoshi didn't flinch. Rangi's words had sobered her, wiping her smile away in a grimace that was much too painful to watch. She said nothing, only watching as the Firebender reached forward and took her hand, gripping it tightly. 

"I feel like I'm losing you," she sniffled, and Kyoshi broke. It was as if she was seeing Rangi for the first time that night. A tear fell, tracing the freckles on her thinning cheeks, and she let herself fall to her knees with Rangi's hand in her own. Her voice cracked as she spoke. 

"I'm sorry, Rangi. I'm so sorry." She looked so broken, kneeling as she looked up with pleading eyes. "I don't know what I'm doing." She buried her face into the other girl's tunic, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her closer. There was a moment of silence as her bodyguard gathered herself, wiping the tears from her face as they fell. 

She lifted Kyoshi's face gently, realizing this was the first time she had seen Kyoshi - her Kyoshi - in weeks. The shell of an Avatar that had resided in this house for the past few months was gone, replaced with a glimpse of what she had once been. "Please," she whispered "let me in. I can help you." 

Kyoshi closed her eyes sadly, swallowing back the pain tearing at her chest. But Rangi could tell her mind was drifting again, losing itself somewhere far and unreachable. It didn't make sense, her slow decline. The way her shoulders, which had once posed so proudly, now drooped with a weight she could never understand. 

She cupped her hands against Kyoshi's cheeks softly, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. The shell of indifference in the Avatar's gaze hurt more than anything else. But in her soft green eyes, Rangi could see the last hint of reason beyond the sea of pain and burden. 

"Stay here with me." Her voice quivered as she remembered the last time she had spoken those words, blood seeping through her uniform, slipping between Kyoshi's fingers as she reached up to the only person who mattered. The only person she cared enough to ask that of. And now she was asking that same question again, reduced to the same desperate plea. 

"I will." The words were an empty promise, a cracked shield thrown forward to protect them both, one that would inevitably shatter. The worst part was, Rangi would never know the burden Kyoshi held, not even once they'd both passed their breaking points. Because the fiery girl would take it upon herself to step between her lover the end she approached. So Kyoshi remained silent. 

And as she gripped her lover's clothes tightly, she trembled with fear. But wasn't the reality of losing herself that scared Kyoshi. 

It was the mere thought of losing Rangi. 


End file.
